Unsung
by Alastor Wolfkin
Summary: One surprise on top of another, and now this... tragedy... that must remain unsung. No time to mourn. What's Lilith's favorite saying? Right. "No rest for the wicked." / This is a narrative of the end of the mission "Where Angels Fear to Tread".


**Hello, dear reader(s). This is one of my "enhanced narratives". For those not in the know, I use the canon events and most of the dialogue of a short scene (from a video game, usually) and interject my own narrative – in the form of dialogue, inner dialogue, emotional reactions, etc. – that one may not normally get from a plot/action-driven video game.**

**This is my take on the end of the mission "Where Angels Fear to Tread" from the game Borderlands 2, and it focuses more on Gaige, who has been my favorite Vault Hunter thus far. Enjoy.**

**PS: Deathtrap FTW**

_[Control Core Angel]_

"Don't you know what you're DOING!? Who cares about the goddamn Key – you're gonna end the life of an innocent little girl!"

Jack's hysterical voice pierced through the cacophony of explosions and bullets, and Gaige faltered for just a moment as she aimed at the pipes pumping Eridium into Angel. A loader that tried to take advantage of her lapse was torn in half by Krieg's buzzaxe.

"Jack ended my life a long time ago. This has to end NOW, Vault Hunter."

At Angel's reassurance – no, insistence – that this was the only way to end this, Gaige steeled herself and let loose a volley of lightning rounds from her Maliwan SMG. With a loud *_CRACK_* the pipe broke apart, cutting off the Eridium keeping Angel alive. Though Gaige knew she was in the right, hearing Angel's scream of pain cut deep.

Angel collapsed to the ground, the Vault Key falling beside her, and Gaige rushed to her side, cradling Angel's head with tears in her eyes. "No, Angel, you can make it..!"

As the roar of battle died away, Angel's soft, crystal voice reached Gaige's ears for the last time.

"It's done. It's finally done. Thank you... friend."

If one were to look at the band of misfits and cutthroats in those next moments, a rather unnerving sight would be seen.

The normally bloodthirsty and ecstatic faces of Salvador and Krieg were tinged with sadness; Axton's normally devil-may-care grin was replaced with a stoic mask – to be fair, it couldn't be said whether Axton had yet forgiven Angel for her betrayal. Zero was silent and motionless, an enigma to the last.

Maya looked conflicted. They had been utterly betrayed, but here in front of her was one of only a few like herself: A Siren, and a grim picture of what easily could have happened to her if Maya had been taken in by one with more ambition than the likes of Brother Sophis.

Gaige had no such conflict. Even as Angel had stabbed the Vault Hunters in the back, Gaige could hear the guilt, regret, and sorrow in her voice. With that regret ringing in her ears, Gaige could never bring herself to hate Angel in the first place; and now... Now she was gone. Her tragic, caring friend... was gone, and all because of some pointless struggle for control at the whim of a mad dictator. Already, Gaige could feel the tears pooling behind her eyes. "Angel..."

Heedless of the wave of emotions the Vault Hunters were experiencing, Roland moved forward to pick up the Vault Key that had been the source of so much strife.

"We did it. We actually did it! I'm sorry about Angel, soldier, but right now we have to – "

Roland broke off mid-sentence as a single shot echoed in the large, empty chamber.

Lilith's scream pierced the disbelieving silence, "ROLAND!"

The Vault Hunters watched, stunned into inaction, as Roland collapsed to the ground, Handsome Jack behind him with a smoking pistol leveled at his back.

"If you want something done right you have to do it yourself."

A cry of rage tore itself from Lilith's throat, and suddenly the air was filled with power. The Vault Hunters had felt the hair stand on end when Maya used her power in close proximity, but this was a magnitude greater. Each and every one of them was paralyzed, helpless to do anything but watch as Lilith leapt at Jack, a fiery aura surrounding her.

With one smooth motion, Jack drew a sinister-looking collar from his belt and slammed it onto the neck of the charging Lilith. Immediately, she ceased in her assault on Jack, but the air remained thick with her power. Salvador, Axton, Zero, and Krieg's hands were inching vainly towards their respective weapons; Maya was struggling to manifest her Siren powers, which now felt like a trickle against Lilith's flood. Gaige simply sat in shock, still cradling Angel's motionless, peaceful form.

As Lilith seemed to struggle against the force holding her, Jack spoke:

"I have a Vault Key to charge and the most powerful Siren on the planet to do it with. Lilith: Kill the Vault Hunters!"

Lilith's hand raised jerkily into the air in the general direction of the Vault Hunters. Her tattoos were ablaze, and as a miasma of light washed over the band of misfits and killers, she screamed one word: "NO!"

It took a few moments for everyone's eyes to adjust to the sudden darkness, but it soon became clear that the Vault Hunters were in a place of relative safety.

There were grim faces all around, on all faces except Gaige. She had reached her limit, and collapsed to the floor, tears pouring down her face. She had her mouth pressed to her arm in an attempt to muffle the choking sobs that wracked her body.

Axton, Maya, and Salvador averted their eyes out of respect, while Krieg and Zero simply watched in sorrowful silence. In the beginning of their association, Gaige acted tough and independent to try and fit in with the older Vault Hunters. She had eventually realized that she would be judged on her merits, and was found quite worthy, but the habit remained.

After a few moments, her sobs died down into sniffles. Wiping her face on her already damp sleeve, she turned her puffy red eyes to her few friends and asked with an almost-plea in her voice, "What now?"

As the group shifted uncomfortably, Zero made his first contribution to the situation. He strode up to Gaige silently and placed a single hand calmingly on her shoulder. His head bent towards hers, and she was certain that he was staring her dead in the eyes as he spoke.

"_A friend is captured._

_Two noble allies are slain._

_We have work to do."_

Gaige froze.

And then, slowly, a fire lit in her eyes. Determination set in on her face, grief replace with anger at everything Jack had managed to ruin.

She growled out, "You're goddamn right we do."

She swiveled on the spot and marched to the door, her fellow Vault Hunters following as her infectious determination filled them.

Jack would pay for what he had done – for Bloodwing, for Roland...

For Angel.


End file.
